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Sailors and Marine Oilers

Stand watch to look for obstructions in path of vessel, measure water depth, turn wheel on bridge, or use emergency equipment as directed by captain, mate, or pilot. Break out, rig, overhaul, and store cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, and running gear. Perform a variety of maintenance tasks to preserve the painted surface of the ship and to maintain line and ship equipment. Must hold government-issued certification and tankerman certification when working aboard liquid-carrying vessels. Includes able seamen and ordinary seamen.
Related: Captains, Mates, & Pilots of Water Vessels  Dredge Operators  Motorboat Operators  Riggers  Ship Engineers 
Industries: Transportation & Storage  Government 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached.
    • Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.
    • Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when destinations are reached.
    • Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks.
    • Paint or varnish decks, superstructures, lifeboats, or sides of ships.
    • Chip and clean rust spots on decks, superstructures, or sides of ships, using wire brushes and hand or air chipping machines.
    • Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lighthouses.
    • Sweep, mop, and wash down decks to remove oil, dirt, and debris, using brooms, mops, brushes, and hoses.
    • Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.
    • Stand gangway watches to prevent unauthorized persons from boarding ships while in port.
    • Overhaul lifeboats or lifeboat gear and lower or raise lifeboats with winches or falls.
    • Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs.
    • Give directions to crew members engaged in cleaning wheelhouses or quarterdecks.
    • Steer ships under the direction of commanders or navigating officers or direct helmsmen to steer, following designated courses.
    • Participate in shore patrols.
    • Record data in ships' logs, such as weather conditions or distances traveled.
    • Load or unload materials, vehicles, or passengers from vessels.
    • Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs.
    • Provide engineers with assistance in repairing or adjusting machinery.
    • Splice and repair ropes, wire cables, or cordage, using marlinespikes, wire cutters, twine, and hand tools.
    • Measure depth of water in shallow or unfamiliar waters, using leadlines, and telephone or shout depth information to vessel bridges.
    • Clean and polish wood trim, brass, or other metal parts.
    • Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks.
    • Maintain a ship's engines under the direction of the ship's engineering officers.
    • Lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings.
    • Stand by wheels when ships are on automatic pilot, and verify accuracy of courses, using magnetic compasses.
    • Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines.
    • Break out, rig, and stow cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, or running gear.
    • Maintain government-issued certifications, as required.
    • Examine machinery to verify specified pressures or lubricant flows.
    • Relay specified signals to other ships, using visual signaling devices, such as blinker lights or semaphores.
    • Lower and man lifeboats when emergencies occur.
    • Operate, maintain, or repair ship equipment, such as winches, cranes, derricks, or weapons system.
    • Stand by wheels when ships are on automatic pilot, and verify accuracy of courses, using magnetic compasses.

    Skills

    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.

    Abilities

    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    Knowledge

    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    Education

    Education
    No formal educational credential
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    1 to 12 months on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    64860/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    31.18/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    2,190
    Yearly Projected Openings
    270

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Concern for Others
    • Attention to Detail
    • Self Control
    • Initiative

    Tools

    • Alarm systems
    • Anchor chocks
    • Anchor lines
    • Anchor rollers
    • Bench vises
    • Blocks or pulleys
    • Bolt cutters
    • Bridge cranes
    • Cable splicing kits
    • Centrifugal pumps
    • Claw hammer
    • Cold chisels
    • Demolition hammers
    • Depth gauges
    • Desktop computers
    • Dewatering pumps
    • Direction finding compasses
    • Explosimeters
    • Eye bolts
    • Fall protection lanyard
    • Fans
    • Fids
    • Fire extinguishers
    • Fire hoses or nozzles
    • Fire suppression system
    • Flares
    • Forklift or elevator accessories or supplies
    • Forklifts
    • Gas detectors
    • Gas generators
    • Gear pumps
    • Grease guns
    • Gyroscopic instruments
    • Hoists
    • Insulated clothing for cold environments
    • Insulated or flotation suits
    • Ladders
    • Life rings
    • Life vests or preservers
    • Lifeboats or liferafts
    • Lifting hooks
    • Lifts
    • Loading equipment
    • Locking pliers
    • Marine craft communications systems
    • Marine signaling systems
    • Masks or accessories
    • Material handling hoses
    • Oil can
    • Open end wrenches
    • Pawls
    • Personal computers
    • Pipe wrenches
    • Power chippers
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Radarbased surveillance systems
    • Radio navigation instruments
    • Ratchets
    • Reciprocating pumps
    • Respirators
    • Safety glasses
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Safety helmets
    • Sewing needles
    • Sharpening stones or tools or kits
    • Slings
    • Spanner wrenches
    • Spot welding machine
    • Telegraph sounders
    • Two way radios
    • Winches
    • Wire cutters

    Technology

    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Facilities management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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